Federal workers deemed essential continue to work without pay. The TSA's spokeswoman, meanwhile, was among those furloughed. So were the Federal Aviation Administration spokespeople.

But airport authority spokesman Doug Myers said there would be no impact on airport projects that are paid for mainly with federal funds.

That's because the federal Airport Improvement Program has a separate trust fund to pay for projects, according to the Associated General Contractors.

However, the group warned that reimbursements to airport authorities could be delayed.

The Highway Trust Fund, meanwhile, is authorized through Sept. 30, 2014, said Mike Elmendorf, president and CEO of the Associated General Contractors of New York State.

That doesn't mean all is well.

With money being spent more quickly than it's taken in, "going forward, the highway trust fund is headed over a cliff," Elmendorf said. "That presents problems of its own, made more complicated by the (situation) in Washington and the debt limit."

Agencies depending on federal funding are conserving what money they have.

"We're just kind of limping along," he said Monday afternoon. "We're good to the end of October and possibly mid-November.

Meanwhile, research institutions and universities are keeping a wary eye on the Washington stalemate.

"In the short term, it will have no direct impact," said Todd Alhart, a spokesman for the General Electric Global Research Center in Niskayuna. "We're continuing to monitor the situation and are hopeful issues around the shutdown can be quickly resolved."

"Like other research universities across the nation, Rensselaer is experiencing a slowdown in government reimbursements for certain research projects," said spokesman Michael Mullaney. "This shutdown is currently having minimal impact on our overall educational mission and research enterprise, but this impact could intensify if the shutdown is not resolved in a timely manner."

Most observers expect that an agreement will eventually be reached, likely just in time to avoid a default on the nation's debt.